SHOREWOOD – After over a century of chickens being banned and two failed appeals in the 2000s, chickens are now allowed in Shorewood. The village board approved an ordinance in a 5-3 vote on December 18th to allow chickens in residents’ backyards.
Originally, chickens were banned from being kept in backyards after the Shorewood area switched from a farmland area to a more suburban and urban area.
Shorewood Village President Ann McCullough McKaig told WTMJ that other living areas around them were starting to approve the keeping of chickens in recent years, and their Shorewood residents wanted to combine farm life and suburban life.
“There are people who appreciate being able to be more closely connected to their food source and environment… and live close to a commercial district and schools and cultures of cities. They don’t want to live in more rural cities,” McCullough McKaig said. “It challenges the notion of what suburban living is all about.”
She said Dan Wycklendt was the one who pushed for the chicken topic to get brought up again, and when the village board had their regular meeting, this was a topic. So, he decided to plead his case in a chicken suit.
“He was very passionate about all of the advantages,” she said. “He wants [his kids] to know where food comes from. He wants them to have a sense of responsibility.”
She said other residents agreed with Wycklendt.
“We had some other residents talk about [how] they had the experience to hatch chickens and raise them to a certain age… It was just a very positive experience.”
Opponents against having chickens had concerns with diseases, poop, rats, and more, but McCullough McKaig said their stats have debunked those concerns.
“There’s been enough data and research to demonstrate the likelihood of disease spreading or some type of negative health impact is incredibly low, and [that negative health impact] is not documented,” she said.
In the policy, neighborhood notice and staff approval are required before getting the chickens, but McCullough McKaig said this is a big step for the village.
“We are acknowledging that lifestyle is changing. This mid-century notion of suburban living no longer serves, and to be truly more inclusive, more responsive, and more forward-thinking, we need to take these kinds of policy steps.”
The ordinance goes into effect in March 2024.